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JANUARY 1994
<br />
<br />AMERICAN
<br />PLANNING
<br />ASSOCIATION
<br />
<br />II II III
<br />
<br />Loading the Dice:
<br />Zoning Gaming Facilities
<br />
<br />t3y Michelle GregoO,
<br />The economic pros and cons of legalized gambling have been a
<br />hot topic for the last decade as America's cities, states, and
<br />Indian reservations have snatched up the dice at their regions'
<br />crap tables. For man3', the payout has been sweet in terms of
<br />fiscal returns, jobs. and spin-off tourism development. For
<br />others, it has been marginal. The costs of public improvements,
<br />thc subtraction of consumer dollars from other local businesses,
<br />and crime bare quickly offset revenue gains.
<br /> To date, no one has undertaken a comprehensive study of
<br />the impact of legalized gambling on the nation's economy,
<br />although numerous local studies have suggested both an
<br />insatiable consumer demand for more gambling facilities and a
<br />trend toward market saturation. This issue of Zoning ~ws
<br />addresses thc land-use implications of gambling facilitieg in
<br />three forms: floating casinos, land-based casinos, and casinos
<br />operated within Indian jurisdictions.
<br />
<br />Legal Issues
<br />Gaming is tile generic term used to describe any activip?,
<br />invoh, ing tile wagering of"the coin of the realm" in games of
<br />"chance or uncertainty of hazard." Historically, local jurisdic-
<br />tions have been able to prohibit gaming under the police power
<br />as a nuisance to the public health, safety, and welfare. This
<br />authority is derived from state statute unless it conflicts with
<br />other state legislation legalizing gaming. In fact, where local
<br />power has been used to prohibit gaming through regulation, in
<br />the absence of an express grant of power from the state to enact
<br />such regulations making gaming an offense, the regulation has
<br />been called inconsistent with state taw and declared void.
<br /> Moreover, municipal power to suppress gaming does not
<br />automatically constitute municipal authorita' to punish the
<br />crime of gaming generally, but applies only to forms of gaming
<br />that the state itself has outlawed. In other words, a town may
<br />prohibit gambling even if it is legal elsewhere in the state, as
<br />long as the state has empowered it to do so. But beyond
<br />"running them out of town," it may not in turn punish or
<br />define as criminal gamblers or gaming operations unless it is also
<br />specifically empowered to do so,
<br />
<br />Type Hotel
<br />
<br />Hotel AM
<br />Occupancy'
<br />(%) Count In
<br />
<br />Peak Hou~ pM Peak Hour~ Number Casino Avg. No,
<br /> ~-.- of Hotel Floor of
<br /> Out Total In Out Total Rooms Sq. Ft. Emp.
<br />
<br /> S
<br /> S
<br /> S
<br /> S
<br /> S L
<br /> 0
<br /> S
<br /> S
<br /> L
<br /> 0
<br /> S
<br /> S
<br /> S
<br /> S
<br /> S
<br /> L
<br /> · S
<br /> S
<br /> S
<br />: S
<br />
<br /> Caesars Palace
<br /> Circus-Circus
<br /> El Rancho
<br /> Excalibuff .
<br /> Frontier
<br /> Gold Coast
<br /> Goldstrike
<br /> Hacienda
<br /> Imperial Palace
<br /> King 8
<br /> Nevada Landing
<br /> Riviera
<br /> Riviera
<br /> Riviera
<br /> Riviera
<br /> Sahara
<br />
<br />· Sam's Town
<br /> Sands
<br /> Stardust
<br /> Stardust
<br /> Weslward Ho
<br />
<br />95
<br />100
<br /> 79
<br />98
<br />93
<br /> 93
<br /> 79
<br />91
<br />92
<br />61
<br /> 79
<br />100
<br />100
<br />100
<br />98
<br /> 82
<br />80
<br />92
<br />90
<br />97
<br /> 99
<br />
<br />1989 724 361 1,085 876 857 1,733 1,500 93,000 3,000
<br />1988 568 599 1,t67 883 915 1,798 3,154 110,979 3,500
<br />1987 -- -- ~ 171 154 325 438 31,794 250
<br />1990 ~ ~ -- 859 1,527 2,386 4,032 105,540 4,000
<br />1989 225 160 385 263 230 493 176 53,825 1,500
<br />1988 404 227 631 961 716 1,677 297 71,000 2,030
<br />1990 ~ ~ ~ 157 I26 283 300 27,608 500
<br />1990 142 125 267 280 253 533 .780 17i500 '800
<br />1985 231 173 404 257 362 '619 1,492 35,788 1,400
<br />1988 107 92 199 134 125 259 298 4,138 300
<br />1990 ~ ~ ~ 161 I39 300 300· 36,700 600
<br />1985 -- -- -- 275 223 498 1,196 40,000 '1,615
<br />1986 ~ -- ~ 229 241 470 1,196 75,350 1,100
<br />1988 508'322 830 495 437 932 2,136 .75,350 2,000
<br />1990 427 213 640 491 512.1,003 : 2,1~6 75;350 2,000
<br />1990 -- ~ ~ 403 325 728 T,500' 26,956 1,600
<br />1987 .... 704:',-:699 1,403 . 204 62,884 1,150
<br />1989 238 144 382 274 .324 598 720 26,000 1,500
<br />1986 355 ·299 654 448 524 972 '1,365 t8,500 1,900
<br />1989 392 344 736 533 578 1,111 1,302 ' 49,993 2,000
<br />1987 140 164 304 172 203 375 780' '. 34,457 900
<br />
<br />S = Strip Hotet and Casino; O = Outlying Area Hotel and Casino; L = Local Hotel and Casino.
<br />'Hotel room occupancy at time of driveway counts as reported by owner : .'
<br />bAdjusted counts to 100 percent room occu.perney,"
<br />cPM peak hour from Monday, Labor Day 1990.
<br /> ' ':' - ,;
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